Providing animals with various dietary supplements and medications such as vitamins, mineral, enzymes, hormones, and antibiotics is a common and well-known practice in the livestock and poultry industries. The manner in which these supplements are combined with a consumptive fluid carrier such as water is disclosed in a number of patents to include the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,889,443; 4,815,042; 4,733,971; 5,219,224; and 5,487,603. In these references as well as many others, it is known to utilize automated systems which dispense discrete amounts of micro-ingredients, combine the micro-ingredients, and then deliver the micro-ingredients to a feed ration, typically in a slurry mixture. These micro-ingredients are typically added to the animal feed rations using mixing or spraying methods. Some animal feed supplements include pharmaceuticals. Mixing these pharmaceuticals with animal feed causes them to be subject to the regulations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Accordingly, the locations that produce these medicated feed rations must maintain compliance with FDA regulations. Such locations may be routinely inspected by FDA personal, and are subject to various reporting requirements. Therefore, it is imperative that equipment used in the processes is capable of accurately and precisely metering, dispensing, and mixing quantities of the micro-ingredients.
One focus for most of the prior references that disclose equipment used for dispensing and mixing micro-ingredients is to improve accuracy and precision in delivering the micro-ingredients. Over time, great improvements have been made in providing reliable systems for delivering micro-ingredients.
The most common method for measuring the amount of a micro-ingredient to be used in a designated ration is use of one or more weigh scales that weigh the amount of each micro-ingredient delivered to the ration. The weight measurement may be achieved in various methods such as measurement of loss in weight or measurement of gain in weight. Loss in weight refers to measuring the weigh loss of a particular bin that has dispensed the micro-ingredient, the loss in weight corresponding to the amount of the micro-ingredient dispensed from the bin. Gain in weight refers to measuring the amount of a micro-ingredient delivered to a receiving container, the increase in weight corresponding to the amount of the micro-ingredient delivered to the receiving container. Another common method of measuring the amount of a micro-ingredient that has been dispensed is measurement by volume. It is known that certain delivery mechanisms such as an auger have the capability to accurately and precisely dispense a known quantity of a micro-ingredient over a period of time. Thus, measurement of a delivered micro-ingredient can be determined on a volumetric basis wherein an amount delivered is determined by the length of time that the delivery mechanism is activated. Volume measurement is particularly useful with respect to measurement of liquid micro-ingredients.
Despite the accuracy and precision of the machines that deliver the micro-ingredients, and despite the improved computer processing equipment that may be used to calculate required amounts and to record deliveries to designated feed batches, errors can still be made in delivering the micro-ingredients to the designated feed ration. One type of error that can occur despite the above-mentioned improvements is the simple failure to load the designated storage bin with the correct micro-ingredient. For each micro-ingredient used in an automated micro-ingredient delivery system, each bin must be pre-designated to hold a specified micro-ingredient so that the correct types and amounts of the micro-ingredient are dispensed once the automated delivery sequence begins. The micro-ingredient bins and the delivery devices connected thereto, such as augers and pumps, do not have the inherent capability to distinguish between loaded micro-ingredients. Rather, the bins are simply sized to hold a designated quantity of whatever ingredient is loaded therein, and the delivery devices operate to dispense designated amounts of the ingredients from the bins as instructed by commands generated from a controller. The commands may be based on a timed delivery, or based on loss in weight or gain in weight methods.
One object of the present invention is to provide controlled access to the bins that hold the micro-ingredients prior to delivery
Another object of the present invention is to provide a micro-ingredient delivery system and method wherein controlled access is provided through the controller and wherein an appropriate remedial action can be specified by the controller in response to a particular alarm condition or system malfunction.
Another object of the invention is to provide a reliable yet cost effective solution for controlled access to the bins.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a micro-ingredient delivery system whereby accurate records may be kept to comply with required governmental regulations to include recordation of the types and amounts of micro-ingredients loaded in each different bin of the system and ultimately delivered to the designated feed rations.
In all of the foregoing objects, a micro-ingredient delivery system and method is provided that still provides an accurate and precise means of delivering the micro-ingredients, yet the system is made even more reliable by providing controlled access to the bins that store the micro-ingredients.